The Aztecs had a similar tradition to honor the birthday of their god, Huitzilopochtli in the middle of December.

(Huitzilopochtli is a mesoamerican deity of war, sun, human sacrifice and the patron of the city of tenochtitlan)

According to locals, the Mexican piñata tradition started in a town called Acolman. Which is just north of Mexico City. Today the Mexican piñata is still part of mexican culture.

Mexican children love piñatas as they associate them with Christmas, birthdays and fiestas. A rope is thrown over a suitable branch or beam and it is then tied to the piñata. An adult or older child pulls the rope up and down while a child wearing a blindfold tries to break the piñata with a stick, this letting the sweets fall to the ground. The children take it in turns, while the rest of the group clap and chant the piñata song:

“Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino,
Porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino.”

Hit it, hit it, hit it, don’t let your aim go astray,
Because if you lose it, you lose your way.